Key to Her Heart
by Caseyrochelle
Summary: Hermione was working too much and needed a break. Theo couldn't find a job and needed something more from life. When they bump into each other in a bookshop, things couldn't be weirder. But maybe things happen for a reason, after all.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hi guys! It's been a bit (and by 'a bit', I mean, a year oops), and I had this story up previously, but I hated it, so I took it down and rewrote it. So hopefully I won't hate it this time!**_

* * *

 _Hermione_

 _August 3, 2002 London, England - Calloway Book Shop_

Hermione Granger had spent most of her life in and around bookstores and libraries. Among books was where she felt most at ease, and that's why she visited this store - her favorite store- at least twice a month. It'd been a little bit since she could afford a trip; a trip to the bookstore for her required as much or more budgeting than a vacation sometimes. She knew she'd leave with at least five books, and probably quite a few more if Alex had found something she liked.

This store in particular was a Muggle shop, and she loved just escaping away into the cozy shelves in Muggle London and forgetting all about her troubles in the Ministry. She wasn't normally one to resort to that sort of escapism, but she'd really been feeling the stress of her job lately.

After school, she'd been bombarded with job offers from the Ministry, St. Mungo's, even from as far away as France. She was exhausted of being in the public eye. She'd been paraded around as Harry Potter's best friend for far too long, and she was ready to reclaim her life as just Hermione Granger, the bookworm. She was surprised, and a little intrigued, though, when the offer came in from the Department of Mysteries.

Ever since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in her fifth year, she'd never really been keen on the idea of working in the dark halls shut away from the world on the lowest level of the Ministry. Something about the place didn't sit right with her, and she honestly just didn't like the idea of not being able to talk about the work she was doing with her loved ones.

But then she found out what she'd be doing for the new Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had decided that the research being conducted in the Department of Mysteries wasn't documented well enough. They went through interns quite frequently, and as not many people enjoyed working in the vaults, their documentation of experiments and research findings were all over the place. There was no filing system, and it was nearly impossible to find records any further back that a few months at any given time, especially since the research programs had been restructured by the new Ministry.

That was where Hermione came in. Most of the research from before the war had been destroyed, either in battles or by Death Eaters, no one could be quite sure. However, from 1998 onward, there were plenty of experiments taking place which needed a place, and a system. Hermione would be creating that system.

It was something of a dream for her. It was no secret she spent most of her academic career hidden away in the Hogwarts library, but she'd never imagined that one day she'd be responsible for creating a filing system as diverse and complex as the one she envisioned for the department. It was just the thing she needed to break out from under the shadow of her best friend. And it had seemed like such a dream job until she discovered the truly immense scale of the project.

She would be the leader of the project, responsible for filing all completed research projects, papers, and experiments complete with dates, section name, and a label which would tell anyone who pulled the file what the threat level of said project had been. She pulled quite a bit from the classifications of magical creatures when creating the threat labels, and she even scheduled visits to Oxford and other libraries just so that she could get an idea of how best to organise these massively diverse collections.

It had taken her a year to create a system that worked, and another six months to tweak the design and figure out what magic she would need to make her design work. But now, finally, she had started the cataloging and filing process. She had help from some of the interns once or twice a week, but for the large majority of her time at work, she was alone.

Which is why she needed a bookstore trip. She hadn't had a lot of time for hanging out with friends and just being with people the last couple of months, and while she didn't necessarily _want_ to be social, she didn't want to go from the silence of the archives to the silence of her flat, either.

She sighed, thinking about how lonely her flat had become these days. She and Ron had broken up just a few months after the end of the war. They were so much better as friends, in her opinion. When they were a couple, they fought more, things were more tense, and she was just generally unhappy. They'd decided that they valued their friendship more than any sort of relationship and decided to end it. Lately, he had been in America, supporting George with a new franchise of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes opening in New York.

Harry and Ginny were around when they could be, but as an auror and professional Quidditch player respectively, the two barely had time to see each other these days, let alone get together with Hermione. She wrote them when she could, and of course they all had birthdays and holidays at the Burrow. But it'd been a month or so since she'd been able to see any of her friends in person.

That was to say, she hadn't been able to see any of her wizarding friends. Hermione's disdain for the post-war spotlight had led to her basically abandoning Wizarding London. When the time came for her to find her own place to live, she had decided to instead expand her horizons and move into a little flat in Muggle London. She was close enough to the Ministry to not be inconvenience, but far enough away that she could really disconnect at the end of the day. It was in this little section of town, which was full of little shops and tearooms, that she found Alex and Calloway Book Shop. It was the most adorable storefront, only three blocks down from her flat. She could almost see it from her balcony. Nestled between a cafe and tailor, and Hermione could never resist stopping by the cafe for a cup of tea after binging on books for a few hours, usually with Alex joining her.

Alex had quickly become one of Hermione's closest friends. He was a few years older than her, and basically ran the bookstore, which belonged to his grandmother. The two had spent countless hours over the past few years discussing various novels that they both enjoyed, new releases from their favorite authors, and Alex had even taken to holding back books that he knew Hermione might like. He made her feel at home in the little shop, and it was as much a place for her to relax and hang out with her friends as it was to stock up on new books for pleasure reading.

Hermione smiled as she pulled the door open to the little bookshop, inhaling the familiar scent of leather and paper. There was a small entryway into the shop, where there was a stack of baskets, as well as newspapers from the day before that the store kept as reading material for the patrons. Hermione grabbed her basket before heading into the main shop, looking for Alex automatically. She spotted him behind the register at once and made her way over to him, leaning on the counter.  
"Well look who the cat dragged out of the bed. You look like hell. Rough night?" She asked, noticing Alex looked quite a bit more dishevelled than normal. Alex looked up and immediately grinned at her, despite looking like he hadn't slept properly in a week.

"Hermione! It's about time you showed up. Been a minute since you've been in, hasn't it? I've got a pile of books to show you!" He said, his excitement at seeing her overpowering his exhaustion. "More like a rough month, if we're being quite frank. Me Grandmum's been hospitalized for the past two weeks, so I've been running the store, and getting her legal matters in order, and helping me mum get her housing situation straightened out… it's been a mess." He shook his head. "Long story short, I need help in this blasted store, so I've finally put out a help wanted ad." He told her.  
"I thought you were against selling out?" she asked, frowning. She hadn't known his grandmother was in such ill health, and it seemed as though they were preparing to lose her. "If you need anything, Alex, let me know. I may not be able to help much, but you know I'll try my best."

"That's very sweet of you." he told her, smiling weakly at her. "But anyway, let me show you these books. I've been dying for a distraction, and since _someone_ is never home…" He trailed off, directing a pointed glare at her.  
"It's not my fault I work all the time!" She laughed, setting her basket down and coming around the counter as was their usual. She spent as much time behind the counter as in front of it. There had even been times that she'd rung up customers while Alex was dealing with other matters.

Hermione had just settled onto her stool, looking over the first stack of books that Alex had handed her when the bell over the door chimed. She looked up, expecting to see perhaps one of the regular Muggle customers she was accustomed to seeing, and instead, was very confused when she saw a face that she hadn't seen in a couple years looking back at her.

Theodore Nott was standing before them, clutching a flyer and looking very nervous about being in a Muggle shop. Not that she blamed him, of course. The man had probably never stepped foot in a Muggle shop before today. She took in his appearance. He'd filled out a little since school. He was no longer the stringy, wiry boy he'd once been, but instead looked a bit more rugged. She could tell by the way his long sleeve t-shirt stretched that he worked out now, and while it didn't look like he normally kept a beard, he wore a well-developed five o'clock shadow.

He blinked when he saw Hermione behind the counter, and she saw in his eyes a flicker of what she assumed was apprehension. She watched his face with a little frown as he looked back towards the door, maybe deciding whether or not it was worth it to just turn around and walk back out.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked, looking the man over a little hesitantly. That seemed to solidify Nott's courage and he moved forward, looking down at the flyer in his hands.  
"Yes, I saw this flyer at the cafe next door? It says you're hiring, and I was wondering how I'd go about applying?" Nott asked, making a point to ignore Hermione.

Hermione could barely believe her ears. "Wait," She said, before Alex could respond. She wasn't able to process what was happening. "Theodore Nott is wanting to apply for a job _here_? You're aware that this is a _Muggle_ shop, yes?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.  
Nott glanced over at her, then back to Alex. "Um, does she… work here?" He asked, awkwardly.

"Hermione, do you know this man?" Alex asked, looking over at her.

"I went to school with him," She told Alex. "At Hogwarts. I don't work here, Nott, but I am here quite frequently." She said, trying to keep the hostility out of her voice.  
"So he's a wizard." Alex nodded, looking over at the other man. He extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Alex Calloway, and I run this shop basically by myself. If you don't mind, we could have a bit of an informal interview right now if you'd like?" He asked.

Nott looked over at Hermione, then looked back to Alex. "Theodore Nott. The pleasure is mine. I'm more than happy to have an interview." He nodded, almost looking relieved. "If you don't mind my asking, Alex, are you a squib?"  
Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, no. My younger sister was a Hufflepuff. Everything I know about magic, I know through her. And Hermione, of course. Do you mind if Hermione sticks around for your interview? She knows this store forward and back, so I'm sure she'll have something to add every now and again."

"I-" Nott met Hermione's eye, and there was a sadness there that was so profound that it made her look away. She wanted to know what had brought this man here, and what had caused him to act so differently than he had in school. "Sure. She can stay." He said, quietly.

"Perfect," Alex said, chipper as ever. "So, first question, then, Theodore, what brings you to Calloway? You said you found the flyer in the cafe next door?"

"I did." Nott said. "I've actually been looking for a job for a few months now, but I haven't been able to find a position in the Wizarding World, and it's really hard to find an entry level position this time of year in London." he told him with a little laugh.

Hermione chimed in at that, frowning. "No one will hire you? Is it because of your connection to the Death Eaters?" She asked, not really thinking about what she was saying.

Nott's spine stiffened, and he looked down. He obviously hadn't wanted Alex to have that information. "Yes, I believe so." He said, almost robotically.

"So you sided with the Death Eaters during the war, and now you're wanting to work in a Muggle shop? Something doesn't line up here." Alex said, looking between the two of them.  
Nott sighed, rolling his shoulders back before lifting his eyes from the floor. "I sided with the Death Eaters because my father was one of the Dark Lord's most loyal servants. It was join or die. I actually did the Death Eaters more harm than good in that last battle. Which may be a contributing factor as to why I can't find a job in the wizarding world." He shrugged.

Hermione looked up at Nott's words, and she found herself strangely protective of him. "The wizarding wars had more victims than just Muggles and Muggleborns." She said softly, to both men.

Nott's eyes darted to met hers. Hermione was shocked by how much of herself she saw mirrored in his eyes at that moment. All the hurt she'd suffered in the war- the torment, the torture, the countless sleepless nights and nightmares and just pure agony. All of that and so much more was laid bare for her in those eyes, and for a moment, it was as if she was seeing into his soul.

"You have no idea how right you are about that, Granger." He murmured, his voice almost too soft to hear.

Alex looked between the two of them, seeing the exchange there, but seeming to know that it was probably best not to say anything about it. "So, why don't you give me your phone number, Theodore, and I'll call you and schedule a more formal interview. I've actually not slept very much at all this week, and I feel like I really want to give you a proper chance." He said, nodding and giving Nott a reassuring smile.

"Oh, sure." Nott said, surprised by the offer. He moved forward, grabbing a pen and jotting down his information on a notepad by the register. "I'm pretty much available whenever, so just let me know." He told him, reaching out to shake his hand again.

Alex shook and nodded, "I will," he said, smiling. "I'll reach out in the next couple of days." he told him with a nod.

And then Nott just turned and walked out of the building. Hermione let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Hire him." she said, almost at once.

"I'd already planned on it," Alex said, watching his friend's face carefully. "You weren't friends with him, were you?"  
"Sometimes, I wish I could save everyone from that damned war. And sometimes, I get a chance to help the victims, even if they weren't the kindest people." She told Alex. "No, Nott and I weren't friends. But…" She looked up at Alex with a slight frown. "I think we could be?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Theo_

 _August 4, 2002 London, England- Theo's Flat_

Theo couldn't stop thinking about his interaction with Hermione the day before. The way she'd met his eyes- it was like she was seeing him for who he was, instead of who everyone assumed him to be. Not many people saw past what the headlines of the Prophet about him, nor the mark on his left arm. In fact, the only friend he had left from school was Draco, and even he was keeping a low profile these days.

Theo sat in his dingy flat, attempting to go through his budget, but it soon became apparent that he was getting nowhere. Why the hell couldn't he get her out of his head? He shook his head, standing and grabbing his jacket and wand before heading out the door, then locking the door with a quick spell. Surely Draco could help him clear his head.

Draco was the only person Theo ever saw as an equal in school. Not because of his blood status, but because the shit they'd both had to endure growing up. Being the sole heir to a pureblood fortune was hard enough to deal with just given all the etiquette, socializing, and business lectures their fathers subjected them to constantly, but Draco and Theo's fathers had been two of the most devout followers of the Dark Lord to ever exist. Or at least, Lucius _pretended_ to be devout. They were expected to be the perfect Slytherins, Death Eaters in training. Theo's father had practically insisted that Theo take the Dark Mark the summer after his fifth year, and Lucius soon followed suit. The boys went through hell together, and honestly, Theo was surprised that they both made it out the other side.

That bond, though, was exactly why he knew he could turn to Draco now. It was Draco he turned to when they took his family house for reparations, after all. They'd stripped Theo of all but a couple thousand galleons left in his vault, and he had had nowhere to go until he found a cheap enough flat. Thankfully, Draco had welcomed him into Malfoy Manor, offering him a spare room there for as long as he needed. He told Theo he was always welcome at the Manor, and the two had only grown closer in the past few years.

Of course, he knew what his friend would say. She was a muggleborn, and Draco had made it clear in school his feelings about her. He almost expected the man to scoff at him for being so hung up on the girl.

He headed into the little alley beside his flat, making sure he was well out of sight of any Muggle, before apparating outside the gates to Malfoy Manor. He tapped the gate with his wand and headed up the long drive. He knew Draco would be home, he mostly just hoped that Astoria wasn't with him. He was happy for the new couple, but he needed his friend- and he hadn't opened up to Astoria enough to really talk to her about something of this magnitude.

Theo knocked on the door, and had to hold in a groan when it wasn't Draco who answered the door, but Astoria.

Theo looked down at the woman, who was peering up at him with a frown marking her features. Apparently, she could read Theo's expression and she knew he was disappointed in seeing her. "Hey, Theo," She said, standing aside to let him into the home.

Theo cursed internally when he saw the frown on her face. He didn't want to insult her, but he really just needed his friend. "Hey there, Tori. Draco in the library?" He asked, trying his best not to be rude.

Tori gave a nod, closing the door behind him once he came into the foyer. "He is, is everything okay?"

"Mostly. I… ran into someone yesterday, and I don't know how I feel about it. I suppose I just need to talk it over with someone." He told her. "I can't get it out of my head."

"Yeah, well he's in the library." She motioned towards the stairs. "I assume you want to talk to him alone?"

"I-" He paused, looking down at her. Perhaps a second opinion, a fresh perspective on things, would help him figure out why the hell Granger was stuck in his head. "Actually, would you join us? I could use a woman's opinion."

Tori seemed surprised that he had asked her to join them. He couldn't blame her, honestly. After all, they were both still a little jaded after the war and neither of them trusted anyone but Draco. He supposed that common element was all that really kept the two in contact.

"All right. Yeah, I can come with you." She said, smiling shyly.

He returned her smile before turning away and climbing up the main staircase towards the library. Draco hardly left the library these days, it seemed. He liked being surrounded by his books, and getting lost in the alchemy of other cultures. His alchemy collection was impressive and took up nearly an entire wall behind his desk. Theo knew better to get him started on that, though, or he'd be stuck there for hours, listening to his best friend ramble about Mayans and the Fountain of Life. Theo didn't bother knocking; the charms on the manor gate notified Draco of his presence, anyhow. So he merely pushed the door open and made himself comfy in his favorite chair across from Draco's desk.

Draco took a moment to finish the sentence he was writing before looking up at Theo. He cleaned his quill, capped his ink, and set aside the parchment before finally meeting his friend's eye and frowning. "Normally you call or write before you come over, Theo. Everything okay?" he asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Quite frankly," He said, scrubbing a hand down his face as he plopped down onto the leather couch in front of the desk, "I don't know."

Astoria had followed Theo up quietly, and she now settled in comfortably next to Draco, perching on the arm of his desk chair. She rolled her eyes at Theo's hesitance, and he shot her a look. Her gaze softened, though, and she turned to her boyfriend.

"Theo's confused." She explained, getting straight to the point. "Something about running into someone from school and he can't stop thinking about the interaction."

Draco chuckled. "Who was it? Eloise Midgen? Honestly, it couldn't have been that terrible. Unless you somehow talked yourself into a date with Midgen, that is." Draco shuddered.

"It was Granger," he told them. "I was going around London job hunting, and came across a help wanted ad for a bookshop. I went inside, and she was sitting behind the counter with the owner. Apparently, she's a frequent customer. Of all the fucking bookshops in London." He shook his head. "The owner gave me a mini interview on the spot. Turns out his sister is a witch. Well, he asked if I minded if Granger stayed for the interview. Of all the people to have damning evidence of who and what I am, it's her." He asked, shaking his head and looking up at him. "Well, we locked eyes, and just… stared at each other for a moment. It was like she was trying to see into my soul?" His words came out as a question, because he didn't really know what to think of what she'd done. "I've never had someone look at me like that. And after we broke eye contact, I knew, somehow, that she wouldn't intentionally ruin my chances. Of course, then she called me out as being a Death Eater, and siding with them in the war, but after I explained myself, she told the owner of the store that there were more victims of the war than just muggles." he said, frowning.

"Granger? _Granger_ defended you like that to a muggle? She called you out, then defended you?" Draco asked, disbelievingly.

"I know it sounds insane. That's why I can't stop thinking about it. She's really good friends with the owner, Draco. What if she's the reason I get this job? What if she's the reason I don't?" Theo scrunched up his nose in confusion.

"Every employer has his reasons for hiring or rejecting you. This one just happens to know an acquaintance of yours from school. If he hires you, great. You need the job. If he doesn't, there's plenty more fish in the sea. What are you really worried about, Theo?" Draco asked.

"Having to see her all the time." Theo confessed, looking down. "It's like she was looking straight through me, Draco. Like… she saw me for who I am, not what most magical folk see me as. It made me feel strange, and I'm not sure if I can handle that."

"So you're worried you'll get the job?"Astoria asked, arching a brow at him. "Theo, you're clearly not a coward, but I'll let you in on a little bit of advice. If she sees you for what you are, there's two ways this could go. Either she'll avoid you entirely, and you won't have to deal with her, or you'll pique her interest and she'll try to get closer. That's just how girls work."

"I'm inclined to agree with Tori," Draco nodded, wrapping an arm around her.

Theo's frown deepened. "You think Hermione Granger will try and get closer to me?"

"It's possible." Astoria shrugged. "I've seen weirder things happen, Theo. This isn't the same world we grew up in. And people change. I heard she's working for the Department of Mysteries these days."

"Is that so?" he asked, looking up at Astoria with curious eyes. "Perhaps you're right, then." He said, now lost in his own thoughts.

"Just try and keep an open mind about it, yeah?" Draco asked, looking over at him and then looking up at Tori on the arm of his chair. "Hey, how about we go out for dinner? There's this great little Italian place in town, and it'll get you out of London, and us out of the house for a while."

"I'd love to, Draco, but I don't really have the money to eat out." Theo said, sighing as he got to his feet.

"He asked you to dinner, not if you had money." Astoria teased. "Now stop your moping and let's go get some penne." She laughed, hopping up off the chair. "Can I drive, sweetheart?"

"Of course. I haven't really gotten the hang of driving quite yet." Draco said, sheepishly.

Theo cracked a smile at his friend. "I haven't attempted to try driving. It's virtually impossible to find parking in London, anyway, and honestly, unless I get the house back, I don't see myself living anywhere else for a bit."

"Do you really _want_ that house back?" Draco asked, softly. He'd offered to buy the house back from the Ministry for Theo several times, but Theo's pride wouldn't allow that.  
"No." Theo said, after a minute of thought. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "No, I don't think I do." He glanced over at Draco for a moment. "Thanks for talking to me mate. I thought I was going crazy for a minute there."

"Of course." Draco smiled, tossing Astoria his keys and heading for the door. "What else are friends for?"

* * *

 _August 19, 2002 London, England - Calloway Book Shop_

It had been a week before Theo had gotten the call from Alex. He had gone in for the interview, almost expecting the worst, and had been more surprised than ever when he walked out of the building with a job. He had started the next day, and after a couple of days of training, he and Alex were on the way to becoming fast friends. Theo did most of the menial labor like shelving the books, unloading the shipments, and dealing with customers while Alex worked in the office on the budgets and other managerial tasks. Theo was really surprised that, within a week, Alex was comfortable enough with Theo to leave him alone in the shop while he took his lunch. The man needed a break, that much was certain. His grandmother had just passed, and he was still trying to sort out the affairs involved with that. Thankfully, she'd transferred the business into Alex's name before she'd gotten ill.

Today was one of those days where Alex had been missing in action for a good portion of the afternoon. He had told Theo that he had to take care of some of his grandmother's affairs after lunch, but as it was a slow Monday, there probably wouldn't be many customers, anyway.

Theo pulled a stool over and sat a box of books on it while he got to work shelving and organizing the shelf of books in front of him. It was an almost therapeutic sensation, shelving them. Theo had a very slight case of OCD, and Alex kept the store organized by genre, and then by title, so putting the books in order like that was satisfying, to say the least. He got lost in the work, until he heard the door open. He didn't think anything of it, assuming it was either a customer or Alex coming back from his outing. Well, he didn't think anything until he heard the overhead bell fall again, and a familiar voice cursing.

"When the hell are you going to fix this damn bell, Alex?!" Hermione yelled, a slight laugh in her voice. Theo's heart almost skipped a beat at her voice, but he couldn't help but grin at her words. He moved up towards the front, leaning on one of the shelves and crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's actually out right now," he told her, meeting her eye. "But I've been telling him the same thing. That's the third time this week it's fallen on someone."

"Why haven't you just fixed it with a permanent sticking charm?" Hermione asked, frowning at him. Theo was surprised by her immediate solution being magic, but he supposed he was so used to magic being only used at home or in places where people knew about magic that he just hadn't thought of it.

He shrugged, standing up straight. "Still nervous about the whole doing magic around Muggles thing, I guess." He smirked, though his tone wasn't malicious. She chuckled at that, pulling out her wand and tapping the back of the leather that held the bell in place to apply the sticking charm. "Well, do you want to put this back up there, or should I levitate it?" She asked. She was too short to reach the top of the door frame, but Theo, in all of his six-foot-two glory, would have no trouble placing the bell. He crossed to her without answering, carefully taking the bell from her and attaching it back to the doorframe.

"You must have really impressed Alex. It's not like him to just leave someone here while he goes off to do things. The store is his baby." She said, moving up to the counter. He followed her, moving around the counter and pulling out one of the crates Alex kept under the counter. It was labelled 'Hermione', and when Theo had asked about the crates, Alex had explained that he had a habit of pulling books that he knew some of his regulars might enjoy.

"I'm a quick study," Theo told her. "Here's the books he'd pulled for you." He said, pulling the books out before replacing the crate. There were only a couple, since she'd just been in at the beginning of the month, and they only got shipments twice a month. He looked over the selections curiously.

There were a couple Shakespearean plays, some poetry collections, and, curiously, a book he knew well. " _Le Morte d'Arthur_?" He asked, pointing out the book. "Good book. I have it as part of my own collection."

Hermione smiled slightly at that, picking the book up. "I've been leaning more towards older works lately, and Alex has been urging me to try out some adventure stories, instead of just plays and poetry. He's been trying to get me to read Arthurian legend practically since I met him." She told him. "You liked this book, then?"

"One of my favorites. Though, if you want something a bit more modern, I'd try _The Once and Future King_." He told her.

She nodded, flipping through the book carefully. "I'll give this a read first, and maybe I'll take you up on your recommendation." She said, pulling out some cash to pay for her selections. "I'll have to call Alex later and let him know I talked to you. He told me he was going to hire you, but I'm honestly really surprised by how well you seem to be doing here." She said, looking up at Theo curiously. "I've gotta get home and eat, otherwise I'd stick around and wait for him."

Theo nodded. "I'll let him know you stopped by. I'm sure it'll make his day." Theo told her, ringing up her order and counting out her changed. "Have a nice day," He told her after bagging up her books.

She took a moment to gather her books and put her money away before looking back up at him. "You, too." She said, almost sounding unsure about herself. She hesitated there for a moment, then turned on her heel and left the shop. The bell above the door announced her departure, and for once, the thing stayed in place. He smiled to himself before heading back to the shelves to finish what he'd started.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hermione_

 _August 19, 2002 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

It wasn't like Hermione to leave work early, especially on a Monday. But she'd had rough weekend, and the night before had been the worst night she'd experienced in a long time. Her nightmares were back, it seemed. She'd tried every Muggle remedy she knew of, but she hated taking sleeping medicine as much as she hated using Dreamless Sleep potions. So she'd been dragging all day, and she was terrified of dozing off in her office, both because she could lose her job, but also because of where she was. She wasn't sure how she'd react if she was jolted awake from a nightmare just to find herself in the Department of Mysteries.

She had gone to the store to talk to Alex, in all truth. It was usually him who she talked to about these nightmares, since he was so removed from the pain of the war. She could talk to him freely without worrying about bringing up painful reminders for him, and that was something that she treasured.

But when she encountered Theo there, instead of being disappointed, she was thankful for the to new people wasn't something she did a lot these days, and for some reason, he fascinated her.

Even now, as she sat in her living room, she couldn't help but think about how odd it was that Theodore Nott didn't think to use magic to fix one of the problems in the shop. It made her wonder about his opinions on Muggles, and it certainly made her want to have an actual conversation with him. Well, another one.

She glanced up at the clock. It was only four-thirty, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon. What was the harm in slipping down the block and grabbing a coffee, maybe seeing if Alex was back? She kept trying to tell herself it was Alex she wanted to see, that he was the reason she was making a second trip to the shop. She checked her hair in the mirror by the door, grabbed her purse, and headed out.

As she approached the door to the cafe, she saw Theo and Alex heading out the door of Calloway's. That struck her as odd. They didn't close until six on weekdays. She smiled and called out to Alex.

"Looks like I'm not the only one calling it a day a little early. Family problems?" she said, coming up to the men.

Alex smiled at her voice and turned around, pulling her into a hug in greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, not after Theo told me you dropped by at lunch." He told her. "Actually, we're closing up shop a little early today because I'm taking Theo out to eat to show my appreciation. He ran the shop for me today from about eleven until damn near five. I didn't mean to be be gone so long, but he handled it like a pro." He said, looking over his shoulder at Theo.

Theo shrugged. "We only really had a handful of customers. The rest was just cleaning and tidying, and if there's anything I'm good at, it's being an OCD neat freak." He grinned at Alex.

Hermione was taken aback by his grin. That was the first time she'd really seen Theo genuinely grin at someone since school, and she wasn't even sure his grins then were all that genuine. It seemed he and Alex were actually getting on pretty well.

"Say, why don't you tag along, Hermione? If you don't have any plans, that is." Alex asked, catching Hermione completely off guard. She spluttered, looking for words she didn't have.

"I- um, wouldn't want to be a third wheel, you know?" Hermione said, looking at Alex with wide eyes. Alex laughed loudly at that and shook his head.

"It's an appreciation dinner, not a date, Hermione. Theo, what do you say? Would you mind if she joined us?" He asked, turning to the taller man.

Theo was quiet for a moment, studying Hermione carefully. "I think you should come if you're free. You seemed a little… frazzled when you came in earlier. Maybe just relaxing with friends could help? And perhaps we could even talk about that book you bought." He smiled at her warmly.

It took Hermione a moment to pull herself away from his eyes. For some reason, she got lost in those blue eyes every time she met them. They were like windows into his soul, and she was almost drawn to them. She finally shook herself out of her trance and smiled back. "Sure. I suppose I will tag along, if you're alright with it." she said, tugging at her sleeves nervously. She noticed Alex eyeing her, and looked down to hide a blush.

"I see how it is, your best friend invites you and you don't want to 'third wheel', but then Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome pulls out the baby blues and you fall head over heels." He smirked, heading to his car parked on the curb. Hermione turned bright red and looked at her feet, as Theo shifted his weight, looking anywhere but at her.

"You'll both have to sit in the back, though. I've got a metric shitton of breakables strapped in to the front seat that Mum wanted me to have." he rolled his eyes. "Tell me what I'm going to do with forty year old china, Hermione. Tell me."

"Put it in a nice china cabinet and don't touch it for another forty years?" Hermione suggested, moving to open the car door and get into the back seat.

"You could always sell it. Some of that rubbish is considered antique these days and will sell for quite a bit." Theo told him as he climbed into the back seat beside Hermione. "I had to get rid of some of my families' china not too long ago, and it paid my rent for three months."

"And break me poor Mum's heart? I think not." Alex almost offended at the very thought.

"Are you living here in London, then, Theo?" Hermione asked, looking up at him. Even sitting, he was nearly a head taller than her.

"I am. Just a few streets over, actually. It's like a fifteen minute walk." He told her, and she was glad that he wasn't so embarrassed that he wouldn't talk to her. She was surprised she was even able to formulate sentences.

"I didn't realize you were so close," She said, her eyebrows shooting up. "If we're going to the restaurant that I think we are, we'll be passing my apartment on the way. I'll point it out." She said, smiling.

He arched a brow at her. "You don't mind me knowing where you live?" he asked, cocking his head at her. She shrugged.

"I live above a boutique, and I work for the government. Lots of people know where I live. It's not really a big deal to me." She told him with a smile. "Besides, if you were dangerous, you would've hurt me already." She said, looking up into those blue eyes again.

"Just because I'm not dangerous to you," He said, leaning slightly closer to her. "Doesn't mean that I'm not dangerous." He murmured. Goosebumps ran up her arm, and she leaned in closer almost automatically. She searched his eyes, trying to see if he meant what he said, on top of trying to decipher what he was trying to tell her.

"No flirting in the car, kiddos." Alex said, looking back at them with a shit-eating grin through the rear-view mirror as he was stopped at a light.

"Aw, Dad, come on!" Theo said, grinning at him, and then tossing a wink at Hermione. She turned pink, a giggle escaping her before she could stop it. This was so… odd. He was very clearly flirting with her, but it was also like he was trying to warn her to stay away from him. She looked out his window and pointed.

"There's my flat. It's just a little two bedroom on the second floor, but the rent is decent and the view from the balcony is pretty nice." She told him, shrugging.

"I may have to come visit you sometime." Theo told her, looking from the flat back to Hermione. "I've got a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot more of you." He said softly.

"My flat's been a pretty lonely place lately, if I'm honest. I wouldn't say no to the company." She told him, and she was surprised that she meant it. If someone had told her a month ago that she'd be basically inviting Theo Nott into her house, she'd have called them insane, but here she was.

Theo studied her face and eyes carefully then smiled down at her. "Good to know." He said, nodding.

Hermione tried hard not to bite her lip, or play with her hair, or pick at the hem of her shirt, but all of her nervous tics were out in force. Thank Merlin for Alex and his impeccable timing.

"Who wants pizza?" He asked, pulling into the tiny parking lot behind a small pizza place. She grinned as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Only if it's Hawaiian." She told him.

"Oh, honey. That's okay, you're entitled to your disgusting opinion." he said, shaking his head.

"What's wrong with Hawaiian pizza? I love pineapple and ham on pizza." Theo said, frowning at Alex.

"Oh, not you too!" Alex groaned, shaking his head. "Fine, you two can share a Hawaiian, and I'll just get a personal pan." He shook his head as they climbed out of the car. "Talk about feeling like a third wheel." He said.

Hermione shrugged sheepishly. "I tried to talk myself out of it. I blame you." She said with giggle.

"At least you're laughing." He said, turning to Hermione and looking serious for the first time. "I haven't heard you laugh in a few months. I was starting to worry. You work too much." He told her, putting a hand on her arm.

"I know." She said, meeting his eyes. "But I'm okay right now." She said, stealing a peek over at Theo, who had gone ahead inside to get them seats. "Yeah, I'm definitely okay for now." She said with a little smile.

* * *

 _August 23, 2002 London, England - Department of Mysteries_

Hermione sat her coffee and purse down at her desk, groaning as she looked over the fresh pile of documents that needed to be filed today. She cleaned her desk every day before she left, and yet somehow, there always seemed to be a new, and sometimes bigger, stack of envelopes and folders that appeared on her desk each morning. She dropped into her chair with a sigh.

Most of these were just projects already labeled and ready to be filed. She'd taught the secretaries in each department all about her system as it pertained to them, and so most of the new incoming folders were already sorted. However, she did still have to go through and check their work, and there were always files that weren't labeled at all.

Those were the worst. She spent the most time tracking down information about files that were blank, and more often than not, she ended up getting close to no answers from people, and she usually ended up just having to read through the file to find the applicable information. She tried really hard not to do that, because some of the things that were researched in this place were of a highly sensitive nature, and some experiments were downright disturbing. She never knew what she might find in some of these folders. She pulled the nearest stack of documents toward her and, after taking a sip of her coffee, she got started on her work.

The morning flew by, and her desk was over halfway cleared by lunch- which was no small feat. She left her door open when she went up to the cafeteria, as was her normal routine. She knew most of the Unspeakables on a first name basis, and she knew they'd never steal from her. It wasn't something that was gone when she returned that bothered her, anyhow. It was what had appeared.

Lying in the center of her desk was a folder, on which was written in large, black letters: DO NOT FILE. There was a sticky note stuck on the front, and in a sloppy scrawl that she'd never seen before, a small note was written.

 _Hermione,_  
 _This is for you. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out._

 _Regards, X_

She re-read the sticky note several times with a frown, not fully understanding. She looked around, as though someone might be watching her from a dark corner, but no one was there. She took a deep, shaky breath and flipped open the folder. At first, nothing out of the usual. It was the same cover page she'd seen on the last twenty folders, with the Department letterhead at the top. But then she noticed that the division wasn't labelled. Normally, when filing a project, the division sending in the file had their own letterhead. There was the space division, the time division, and so forth. But this didn't identify who the file belonged to, and that worried her immediately.

She reluctantly flipped the page and was shocked to find a normal research paper with a title reading Skeleton Key Located. She skimmed the paper, but couldn't make much sense of it from such a shallow read through. What she gathered was that the author of the paper had been searching for some artifact, but that just when they'd gotten close enough, it had slipped through their fingers.

The paper had alluded to a map, and Hermione quickly flipped through the file to find the map in question. It was old, and smelled like it had suffered salt water damage and been allowed to dry several times over. She wrinkled her nose at it, but unfolded it to look it over regardless.

"What on Earth is this?" She murmured to herself, then jumped when a knock sounded at her door. She quickly folded the map back up and reassembled the folder before storing it in her work bag on the floor.

"Come in," She called to the person at the door. The door opened and Harry stepped through, looking a little frazzled, but he smiled at her nonetheless. "Harry! What are you doing down here?" She asked, grinning at her best friend.

"Hey, 'Mione. I need a favor. I've got a case, but I can't give out too much information. I need files from the thought chamber from the last three months pulled for inspection." He said, running a hand down his face. Hermione's eyebrows shot up, but she nodded, getting to her feet and heading to the main archive room.

"I'm fine with little to no information. Secrecy is sort of my job." She smiled at him as she lead him back toward the appropriate row. "Do you need all the files, or just from one team?" She asked.

"Let's do all of them just to be safe. And if you get any unmarked files regarding that division, let me know, would you?" He asked.

"Of course," She said, immediately thinking about the file she'd just been looking at. It wasn't regarding thought, though. No, it seemed much more focused around a physical object. Strange. Maybe she should test the waters. "Harry, does the term 'Skeleton Key' mean anything to you? In regards to the case that is." She asked, wondering if she should tell him about the file and the map.

"No," He said, frowning. "Why do you ask?"

"I get loads of unmarked folders everyday," She shrugged. "One popped up on my desk, and I was just trying to see if it was relevant, that's all." She said, relaxing a bit now that she was certain that the two incidents were unrelated. She got to work pulling the files for her friend, and soon, she'd put the Skeleton Key and the folder neatly tucked away in her bag completely out of her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

_Theo_

 _September 17, 2002 London, England - Calloway Book Shop_

Theo sat the bin of books he'd collected for patrons down behind the counter and stretched his back out with a groan. Alex sat behind the counter, going over some expense report. It had been a slow day, and Theo had been turning over a thought in his head all day. He'd been trying to gather up the balls to just ask Alex about it, see what he thought, but he'd yet to think of the proper way to phrase it. He glanced up at the clock, cursing at himself when he saw it was only four.

"Got somewhere to be, Theo? That's the third time you've checked the clock in ten minutes." Alex said, hardly looking up from his paperwork. Theo swore the man had eyes in the back of his head sometimes.

"No. Well. I'd like to have somewhere to go, but I'm not sure if I should… ya know, go." He said, figuring now was as good a time as ever to approach the topic.  
Alex looked up at that, setting his pen down and turning toward Theo. "Is this about Hermione?" He asked, meeting the man's eye seriously.

Shit. He didn't think he'd figure it out that fast. "Yeah, kinda." Theo admitted. He couldn't help but feel drawn to her. He'd found himself wishing that she would drop in one day out of the blue. It had been nearly a month since he'd seen her last, and he couldn't help thinking that she was avoiding him.

Alex watched Theo with a stern gaze for a moment before his expression softened. "You really like her, don't you?" He asked, quietly.

"I'm very… intrigued by her." he said truthfully. "She and I never had much interaction in school. I never got to know her on a personal level, and suddenly, being thrown into a situation where she and I can be friendly and even flirt. It's a little surreal." He told Alex. "She's different than I thought she would be. And I'd very much like the chance to get to know her better. She- she told me I was more than welcome to come over to her flat anytime but- well, I don't want to be rude and just show up." He said, sheepishly. "I don't even know if she'd be home when I got off work." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Alex studied the man's body language for a few moments, before standing and heading over to the store phone. He had Hermione's landline and cellphone numbers written down on a sticky note by the phone, just in case he needed to call and ask her about an order she'd placed. He dialed her cell number and looked over at Theo. Theo heard her pick up on the second ring.

"Hey, Hermione. I was just checking to see if you'd be home tonight. That book you ordered came in and I was gonna drop it off on my way home." He said. Theo understood what he was doing, and a wave of gratitude swept over him.

"Oh, good. Oh, do you have any plans for dinner? I was thinking about grabbing some takeaway." He said with a could have kissed him. "Cool, any preferences?" Alex replied to a statement Theo couldn't hear. "Got it. Well, looks like it's a good day for you, you'll have a new book and food in about half an hour." Alex laughed.

Theo stopped paying attention after that, and instead began looking for her bin, where the book she'd ordered would be stored. He had found the book, wrapped it up in one of their bags, and set it on the counter by the time Alex hung up.

"She wants Chinese from the place just down the street. Shrimp fried rice and an order of crab rangoon is her normal order. She's a total weirdo and loves red wine with takeaway. I've got a bottle in my office that I've been meaning to give to her. I much prefer whites, but I got it as a gift, and you know how that is." Alex said, rolling his eyes as he headed back to his office to grab the bottle. When he came back, he handed Theo the bottle and grabbed a bigger bag, slipping the book into it and letting theo place the bottle inside, as well. "Her favorite flowers are champagne and white roses. The flower shop across from the tailor is pretty reasonably priced for half a dozen. I'd hit the flower shop, then the takeaway. If you leave now, you should have plenty of time to meet that half hour deadline." He winked.

Theo stared dumbfoundedly at Alex for a moment before pulling the man into a bone-breaking hug. "You're the single best boss- friend- ever, Alex." He told the man, finally pulling away. He gathered up his things, finished up a few last things around the store, and grabbed the bag of goodies for Hermione.

Alex stopped him before he headed out the door. "Theo." he said, his voice stern again. "You hurt her, and you'll have to deal with me. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Of course." Theo nodded, meeting the man's eye. "I'd never hurt her."

* * *

Theo was scared shitless standing on the top step to Hermione's flat. He had never been so scared of talking to a girl in his life. But then, he'd never shown up to a girl's flat with a book, food, flowers, and wine out of the blue like this, either. He adjusted the bouquet of flowers in his arms and knocked three times, swallowing hard as he heard Hermione's soft footsteps leading up to the door. She opened the door and he had to smile at the expression on her face. Her eyes went wide, and he was almost certain her jaw would have fallen to the floor if she hadn't shut it quickly.

"Theo," She said, sounding shocked. "I- Alex told me-"

"Alex is a god masquerading as a Muggle." Theo chuckled, adjusting things in his arms so that he could hand her the bag with the book and the wine. "These are from him." He told her, and motioned to the flowers and take out in his hands. "And _these_ are from me."

Hermione took a small step back, almost as if a wind had physically forced her back. "Please, come in." She said suddenly, a smile breaking out across her face and ushering him in. She closed the door after him. "If I'd known it was you coming, I'd have actually made an effort to look decent." She said with a laugh, setting the bag with the wine and her book in it on the kitchen table and moving to a shelf in her living room where an empty vase stood, almost as though it was waiting for the flowers he'd brought her.

Theo sat his bags on the table, as well, and handed her the roses. He took the opportunity to really look at her. She wore a pair of cotton shorts and a too-big t-shirt that nearly hid them. Her hair was piled into a messy bun atop her head and her face was free of any makeup. And yet, Theo thought she couldn't have been more beautiful.

"What do you mean?" He asked, grinning down at her. "You're beautiful just like this." he said softly. "Besides, I wanted you to be comfortable. I know it's probably really strange for you, having me of all people in your flat." He told her.

Hermione busied herself with filling the vase with water and dumping in the little packet of plant food that came in the bouquet. She cut the stems and began to arrange the flowers in the vase while he talked. "You think I'm beautiful like this?" She asked, her hands freezing. She looked up at him and cocked her head to the side.

He knew he had to be very careful with this or he could ruin the whole night. "Of course I do," he said, pulling the wine out of the bag, then moving on to unbag the takeaway. "This is you when the world isn't looking. It's the purest and most real part of you. And honestly," He said, meeting her eye, "I'd prefer to see you like this than all made up for your day job. Don't get me wrong, you look great in business casual. But this is so much more…" he moved over to her and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Intimate." He murmured.

He smirked to himself when he heard her breath catch at his fingers brushing across her face. He knew he'd crossed a line when he entered into her personal space. He didn't know how she'd react to him invading her bubble. He watched her face intently for a reaction, and he could see the blood rising to her cheeks. She dipped her head, eyes touching the floor for a moment.

"You know," She said, softly, "I get the feeling that there will be many more of these 'intimate' moments. " She peeked up at him through her eyelashes and his heart melted at the sight. He could feel his knees going weak at how adorable she was, but she didn't seem to have any idea the effect about she had on him.

"Do you want for us to have more of these moments?" Theo asked with a smirk. He moved his hand to rest on her elbow lightly. She bit her bottom lip, a cute little frown tugging at her eyebrows.

"I do. I want to learn more about you, Theo." She told him. "But Harry and Ron- they would flip if they knew about this." She sighed.

Theo nodded. "Draco was a little shocked when I told him that we had held a conversation and bloodstatus didn't come up once." He said with a sigh. "But I'm more than willing to get to know you, Hermione. I think there's a lot we could learn from one another."

Hermione thought on that for a moment and then finally relaxed slightly. "Yeah. I think so too. But do you mind if we just keep it between us for now? I don't want to freak anyone out or cause a scene."

"Of course. The last thing I want to do is cause a fuss." he told her, reaching over and grabbing a pair of chopsticks and handing them to her with a grin. "We should eat before it gets cold."

"Let me grab a couple glasses." she said, with a nod. "Could you open the wine?" She called as she headed to her little kitchen.

Theo was already pulling out his wand to pop the cork, knowing the wine would likely need to breathe for a moment before they poured it. "You know, I've wondered where you've been. Alex says you normally come in twice a month, but you haven't been lately." He said casually.

Hermione came back carrying two glasses and two forks. She found it nice to have a fork instead of chopsticks sometimes. "I've been insanely busy at work. And I've got something of a side project I've been working on. I've been staying late in the archives nearly every day trying to figure things out." She said, and Theo knew she likely couldn't say much more on the subject than that. He nodded and sat himself at the table beside her after pouring their wine.

"That makes sense. I can understand. I'm still looking for jobs on the side after hours at the bookshop." He said.

"Oh? Still needing money?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. She thought Alex had mentioned he payed Theo rather well for his position.

"Nah, the bookshop pays all my bills and stuff, and I even have a bit left over at the end of the month. But I just don't want to work in a bookshop my whole life, you know? I really have a dream of becoming a curse breaker." He told her with shy smile.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Really? That would be really great! I remember you were in a lot of my NEWT classes, Charms and Arithmancy, in particular. I'm sure you're qualified."

"Qualified, certainly. But no one will hire me because of my… background." He sighed. She looked down and nodded.  
"Theo," She said, her voice a little shaky and very, very quiet. "I need to know. What do you really think of Muggleborns?"

He sighed. He should have known this was coming. "I don't hate Muggleborns. I don't really have an opinion. They're people, just like me. The blood purist bullshit of 'Muggleborns stealing pureblood magic' is stupid, and you could outperform me in just about every subject in school. Anyone who knew you in school could tell you that theory is bullshit." he said, smiling softly at her.

She nodded slowly, meeting his eyes to make sure he was serious. "So you really were forced into this, then?" she asked, gaining a bit of confidence.

"Yes." He said, understanding that this was a test. She had to see for herself that he really was what he said he was.

"In that case," She said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders. "I could use your help with that project I was talking about." She said.

Theo blinked. That came out of nowhere. "Alright, what's this project?" He asked cocking his head to the side.

"Someone slipped me an unsorted file at work. I've been trying to make sure it's safe not only to ensure I've not been cursed in an undetectable way, but also, there's a map. And an artifact called the Skeleton Key." She said, frowning.

" _The_ Skeleton Key? Hermione, that's a _huge_ find!" he said, sitting up and looking up at her with wide eyes. "Thieves and Dark wizards have been looking for that key for thousands of years. It supposedly opens any lock, magical or otherwise."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes widening. "So I wonder what this person wanted me to do with it?"

"Maybe you were someone they knew they could trust with the information?" Theo shrugged, picking up his glass and sipping his wine.

Hermione didn't look as sure. "Perhaps."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hermione_

 _September 21, 2002 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

Another year had passed, and Hermione really didn't feel like celebrating her birthday. It had fallen on a Thursday this year, so she had just gotten herself a nice bottle of wine and curled up watching _Friends_ while getting wine drunk. That was all she really needed. But when Harry called and told her he wanted to have a little birthday get together with her, she felt it would be rude to decline. So she'd spent the morning cleaning her flat, instead of working on the Skeleton Key research like she really wanted to.

In fact, it wasn't until the knock came at her door at 7, when Harry, Ginny, Luna, George, and Ron were sitting around her table, that she remembered that she had plans with Theo. Shit. She paled and froze in her seat, long enough that Harry frowned over at her.

"Are you going to get that, 'Mione? I can go get it if you-"

"No, it's fine." Hermione said, standing abruptly and forcing a smile. "I'll just be a second." She told them. She wasn't sure who she was kidding- they'd be able to see Theo and Theo'd be able to see them. Her dining room had a direct line of sight to the door.

She padded over to the door and took a deep breath before pulling the door open. Theo stood on the other side, hand raised to knock again. He smiled at once when she pulled the door open, and her heart melted at the sight. But then he looked over her, and looked into the flat, and paled.

"Shit, bad time? I thought we were supposed to-" Theo murmured, looking down at her sheepishly.

"No, no, we were. I forgot about our meeting when I told Harry yes to a party for my birthday." Hermione told him.

"Birthday? I didn't know it was your birthday." He said softly, meeting her eyes.

"I don't like to make a big deal out of it." She shrugged. She peeked over her shoulder. No one was throwing a fit yet. "Would you like to come in and eat? I'm sure we have enough for you." She said softly.

"Are you sure that's okay, Hermione? I can just go and come back later if it's easier?" He said with a slight smile.

"I'm sure. You're here now, there will be questions regardless. Come on," She said, taking his hand and pulling him inside. He shut the door behind him and wove his fingers through hers.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and George were silent when Hermione lead Theo into the room, but Luna smiled up at the man.

"Oh, hello, Theo. I didn't know you and Hermione were friends." She said in her airy sort of way. Adulthood and the war had grounded her a bit, but she was still her friendly, odd self, and it was nice to have her there sometimes to break the tension.

"We met at my favorite bookshop. Calloway? I was in there talking to Alex one day when he came in to apply for a position. We sort of connected after that, and he's been helping me with research for a personal project lately." Hermione shrugged. She turned to Theo. "So I'm sure you remember each other, but this is Harry and Ginny Potter- they got married two years ago- and Ron and George Weasley. And clearly you know Luna." She turned back to the group. "And this is Theo Nott." She told them, waiting for someone to say something.

" _Friends_ don't hold hands like that, Hermione." George finally spoke up with a grin. Ron looked less than pleased about that observation. Harry cocked his head, though, causing Hermione to blush and look down.

Theo took the cue from George, nodding to the man, and pulled his hand away from Hermione's, only to place a hand on the small of her back. "Well, he's not wrong." Theo said, his voice soft and low. It was like he was trying to make her comfortable, and she leaned into his side, letting herself relax a little. Either her friends would accept that she and Theo were becoming close, or they wouldn't. That was their choice.

Harry saw the interaction between the two of them, and understood. He glanced over at Ginny with a small smile. "Will you be staying for dinner, Theo?" he asked the other man.

Theo smiled, glancing down at Hermione for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think I will." He told them with a smile. Harry pulled his wand and conjured another chair and lengthened the table to make room for Theo, while Ginny got up and headed to the kitchen to grab another plate, glass, and set of silverware. Hermione settled down at the table with Theo on her right. Ron leaned forward, meeting Hermione's eye carefully.  
"Are you okay, Hermione? You're safe?" He asked, seriously.

Hermione looked up at Theo and smiled, reaching up and pushing a bit of his black hair off his forehead. "I'm safe, Ron. Theo isn't dangerous… to me." She said, echoing his words.

Ron glanced over at Theo, scrutinizing him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Treat her well mate, or you'll have a fair amount of Aurors to deal with." Ron told him, though he smiled.

Theo looked surprised at how easily they accepted him. He nodded to Ron with a smile of his own. "I wouldn't dream of hurting her."

* * *

Dinner lasted a good three hours, and it was well past dark when the last of Hermione's friends had finally headed out. That was, the last of them save Theo. He had stuck around for the whole dinner, and Hermione was more than happy that he stayed after they left. She had so many things she wanted to talk to him about, and she just wanted to relax with him.

Theo looked up from the couch as she moved back into the living room, having just let Luna out. She plopped down next to him and let out a sigh, her hand moving to his chest and her head resting on his shoulder.

"Well hello there," He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. "I know you love your friends, but it seems they can be a little… much at times." He observed.

"They can be. And we don't see each other very often these days, so when we do, they stay for hours, just so we can catch up. It's really draining sometimes." She admitted, taking in a deep breath and admiring the scent of his cologne.

"They seemed to accept me really easily. I mean, I knew Luna would, but the others… I never thought I'd see the day when Potters and Weasleys willingly ate dinner at the same table with a Nott." He chuckled.

"Once I relaxed around you, I think they really got the message that I actually like you, and that you aren't some criminal." she said.

"You like me, hm? And here I thought you were just using me for free takeaway and help with research." He laughed, then leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

She closed her eyes at the feeling of his lips on her scalp and let out a content sigh. "Of course I like you. I wouldn't have invited you in if I didn't." She giggled. She loved it when he flirted with her like this.

"George is a quick one, isn't he? He picked up on us being more than just friends almost immediately." Theo added, running a finger down her arm that sent goosebumps over her whole body.

"He is. We didn't really confirm what we were, though. Just that it's more than friends." Hermione said, peeking up at him.

"I think that's cause we're not exactly sure ourselves, are we?" He murmured, leaning down further and pressing his lips to her neck. Hermione bit her lip to keep from letting out a small moan, but that didn't stop an audible sigh at his kiss.

"What would you like to be?" She whispered, her eyes closed as she attempted to recover from his assault on her senses.

"I would like for you to be mine." Theo whispered back, his lips right next to her ear.

"Really?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat at the way he phrased it. He was so close to her, and she hadn't ever felt like this when being intimate with someone before. She turned to him and slid her hand down his chest slowly. She heard his breathing speed up at her touch, and it gave her a bit of satisfaction knowing she had an effect on him, too. "So you want to be my boyfriend?"

"I would love to be your boyfriend, Hermione." He told her, his free hand reaching up to cup her cheek. "If you'd have me."

She paused, looking up into his eyes and biting her lip, unsure. She loved talking to him and just being with him, but was she ready to commit to that sort of relationship with him? She looked down when she responded. "I-I think I need another proper date or two before I can decide that." She said softly. She really hoped she didn't offend him or anything, and she certainly hoped that he wouldn't stop flirting with her and touching her like this. It made her feel more like herself than she had in a long time.

"That's alright," He told her, his thumb rubbing over her cheek and dipping down to pull her lip from between her teeth. "You're really going to have to stop doing that. It makes me want to bite your lip for you." He murmured softly. "I really hope you don't mind my touching you like this?" He asked.

"I like it, actually. I hope you don't mind," She moved her hand from his stomach to his lap, grazing along the thigh closest to her. "You know, this." She said with a blush. He chuckled at her, then slid his hand down to her neck and kissed her.

His kiss was gentle and sweet, but just firm enough that she knew he was definitely capable of the fiery, intense kisses she craved. She let herself sigh into the kiss, closing her eyes and kissing him back almost lazily. It felt right kissing him, like she'd found her place in the world, and that was in his arms.

When they finally pulled apart, she looked up at him, then noticed the clock on the wall behind him. "Oh shit, Theo, it's midnight. Don't you have work tomorrow?"

"Alex gave me the weekend off since I've been covering his ass during the week." He told her. "But I am getting pretty tired. Maybe I should go on and head home." He said, sitting up and starting to pull his arm from behind her.

"Or," Hermione said, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks. "You could stay here? It's a bit of a walk, and I don't like the idea of you walking half an hour at midnight in London." She said, looking down and weaving her fingers through his.

Hermione gasped when Theo suddenly pulled her chin up and kissed her again, much harder this time. It was like he was desperate to show her how much he cared about her. His hands slid to her waist and he deepened the kiss by tilting his head. Hermione was thrown off at first, but after a second, she melted into the feeling, kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm as he put into it. When he pulled away, they were both breathing heavily and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What was that for?" She asked softly.

"For caring about me. No one's ever really cared about me walking alone at night like that and- and well, it means a lot." He told her sheepishly. She giggled at him, leaning over and kissing his temple before standing and heading to her bedroom. "I may need some help getting out of this dress. I don't know why I dressed up so much for my own party." She sighed, but shot him a sly smile and disappeared into her room. It didn't take him long to follow.


	6. Chapter 6

_Theo_ _September 22, 2002 London, England - Hermione's Flat_

Theo awoke next to Hermione the next morning and grudgingly pulled himself from her arms. He wanted to stay in bed with her, watching her sleep and cuddling with her, but he didn't trust himself to just cuddle.

They hadn't done anything more than kissing and a little heavy petting the night before. He had offered to sleep on the couch, even, but Hermione insisted that she wanted to cuddle with him.  
So he had to find a way to pay her back. The best thing he could think of was to cook her a lovely breakfast in bed. He wanted to spend all day with her, if at all possible. Perhaps even help her a bit with the research on the Skeleton Key.

Theo had always been a multitasker, and so while he cooked, he read over the file she'd been given for the third time. As he turned the page, a picture slipped out that he hadn't seen previously. It was a black and white photograph of a door. What struck Theo as odd was that, as far as he could tell, it wasn't a wizarding photograph. He frowned, looking at the picture and even turning it over to examine the back. He paled when he read a name he never thought he'd see again. He turned the stove off immediately, leaving the eggs on the counter and hurrying back to the bedroom. He dressed quickly and quietly, tucking the photograph into his pocket. He left a short note on the counter for Hermione.

 _Sorry to rush out, love. Something came up. It wasn't you._

* * *

 _Hermione_

 _September 25, 2002 London, England — Calloway Book Shop_

Hermione didn't understand what had happened. Theo has spent the night with her, and when she'd woken, the kitchen looked as though he'd tried to cook for her, but stopped part way through. She was confused, and the note hadn't exactly helped. She'd expected him to call, owl, perhaps even come back all day, but when she still hadn't heard from him at all by the time she got off two days later, her anxiety got the better of her.

Her worry only amplified, though, when she opened the book shop door to find not Theo behind the counter, but Alex. She frowned, coming up to lean on the counter.

"You're usually hiding in the office. Everything okay?" She asked, trying not to let her worry for Theo out just yet.

"Yep. Theo had to leave early, so I'm covering the counter." Alex said with his normal easy smile. "I take it you expected to see lover boy, eh?" He chuckled, but his laugh disappeared when her frown deepened. "Okay, what did he do?" He deadpanned.

"He stayed over at my place Saturday night." Hermione said quietly, worry tugging her brows together. "He woke up before me on Sunday. And… well it looked like he was cooking breakfast. But he left a note. Said something came up. And I haven't really heard from him since." She shrugged.

Alex frowned at that. "That's not like him. But you know, he was really distracted at work Monday. In his head. Kept murmuring to himself and then said he had to take care of some family business. Something about a manor?" He offered.

Hermione was more confused by the moment. "Do you…know where he lives, by chance?" She asked softly. "He's been to my flat, but I've not really been to his. I probably should go over uninvited but."

"But you're worried." Alex nodded. He wrote down the address for her and handed it to her. "Call me if you need me, Hermione. I mean it." He told her, making sure she met his eye.

She nodded and immediately took the address and headed out. "I'll either be back, or I'll call you." She confirmed as she headed out of the shop.

It didn't take her long to get to the flat- it was only a fifteen minute walk, after all. She tried to calm herself outside his flat, tried to tell herself there was a reason behind this madness. She didn't want him to think she was overly worried, and she certainly didn't want to scare him. She raised a hand to knock on the door when the door opened on it's own.

Theo looked down at Hermione curiously. She'd never seen him quite like this; he was in lounge pants and a white shirt, his hair untidy and his face covered in stubble that looked to be a few days old. He was ruggedly handsome in her opinion, except for the bags under his eyes. Hermione knew the moment she saw him that he probably hadn't slept in at least a day.

"Hermione." He said softly, his voice cracking from disuse. He reached forward and pulled his knuckles over her cheek gently. "I'm sorry I scared you, love." He murmured, looking into her eyes. How did he know? How did he always know? She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"What happened?" She asked softly, opening her eyes again to look up at him.

"I'm sorry I left. I found something in the file. Something I didn't expect to see." He told her, reaching for her hand and pulling her into his little flat. "I had to be sure before I told you. I found a Muggle picture in the file, and the name on the back of it I had only seen in one place before: one of my father's journals." He admitted, showing her to the living room of his little flat. There was a couch and chair, and a small coffee table. But the coffee table was currently covered in loose papers and notebooks, and a large leather bound journal. He sat on the couch, looking over the mess while he talked.

"My father was clearly not a very good person. But before the return of the Dark Lord, he got himself involved with a couple plots among a thief's ring. They called themselves the Wildlings, after the object of their obsessions, one Jonathan Wilde. They deified that man, proclaiming him as the King of Thieves and a bunch of other bullshit. Now I wouldn't normally think twice about this other than the fact that my father once told me that Wilde has wildly bragged about owning a Skeleton Key, just like the one we're looking for. It was a mission of my father's to infiltrate the Wildlings and find the key." He told her, looking up at her.

"What stopped him?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Voldemort's return." He said, sighing. "He still kept detailed notes tracking the Wildlings until he died. But he never came any closer to the key and than we are now."

"Wait, so you're saying-'' Hermione said, looking over his papers, "There's a ring of muggle thieves that's holding onto a wizard artifact? We need to inform the Ministry, the Improper Use of Magic-"

"No. Hermione, if they found out about this- that my father was involved in this- I'd be arrested at once." He told her solemnly. "I can find this. I can- I can-"  
"You can't do this alone." Hermione told him, moving over to him and placing a hand on his arm. He stilled, looking up into her eyes.

"It's the only thing I know how to do." he told her softly.

"Let me help. I'll go to Harry, talk to him. He came down to the department a while ago. I honestly think it might have something to do with this- he didn't give me a lot of information. We'll keep it off record and figure out where to go next." She told him, her hand moving from his shoulder to his cheek. She could tell he was scared, and she knew that look well. "I'll keep your name out of it until absolutely necessary. Okay?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Sure." He said. He turned his head slightly and kissed her hand. "I'm really sorry I left Sunday morning." He told her. "I had to get over to the Manor, and then, well. I needed to make sure I was right before I got your hopes up about this." He told her.  
"I'm just glad you're okay." She told him with a smile. "That _we're_ okay?" She phrased it as a question. She wasn't certain, still, that they were okay.

"Yeah. We're okay. Just- Hermione, I've got a lot of baggage. And it'd kill me if that baggage ended up hurting you." He admitted.

"I'm a big girl. We'll get through it together." She told him. "I'm not too worried about your baggage. It goes with mine." She smiled up at him.


End file.
